Our Holiday Reads

To your Kindles, ladies (and gents).? Here are our top five foolproof favourites for your poolside delectation.

Pulitzer Prize-winning (The Hours) Michael Cunningham’s prose is as elegant as ever in The Snow Queen.? You will get lost in the lyrical creative struggles and relationships of a new sort of nuclear family- two brothers, their lovers and their friends as Hipster Brooklyn is born- and relish every word.

Americanah is the most immersive book we’ve had the pleasure to wallow in in ages, a glimpse into a parallel universe that demands you think about race, place, romance, gender and class politics in an utterly fresh and natural way. Chimamanda Ngozi Achidie is one helluva writer and Ifemelu is one helluva character, whom Lupita will no doubt do proud in the movie adaptation she’s co-producing with one Brad Pitt.

It’s hard to resist John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars, even if you’ve seen the movie?actually, especially if you’ve seen the movie. We recommend a traditional print copy for this one- the pages soak up tears far more effectively than any new fangled handheld.

Playwright Laline Paull’s debut novel The Bees has literally set the literary world abuzz – Margaret Atwood fans won’t be able to resist the dystopian fantasy set in a beehive and its well-developed protagonist Flora 717. It’s a game changer: you’ll never feel the same again about a bee-loud glade or the limits of your own imagination. The New York Times review says it all: ?Truly, who needs people when bees provide this much pathos?…The buzz you will hear surrounding this book and its astonishing author is utterly deserved.?

And if, somehow, you missed it first time round, it’s high time to Lean In. Sheryl Sandberg’s manifesto is surprisingly compelling and inspiring. And personal. You may think you’ve pieced it all together through excerpts, tweets and common sense but it all resonates a good bit more when actually digested whole.? Save it for the end of the holiday so you can go back to work or home properly revved up to take on new challenges. We did and now we’re on a roll.

@lgeorge353 wants to know what to read next- all suggestions welcome.